Brown flavors continue to evolve in the ice cream category, with caramel’s new best friends being the apple, the banana, the pear and the pineapple. Think of classic desserts involving butter and brown sugar. Now think of the fruits in those desserts and why they partner so well with caramel…caramel with spice, with heat, with a twist.

Looking for ice cream flavor ideas? Plan to attend the International Dairy Foods Association’s annual Ice Cream Technology conference April 12 to 13 in Florida. I will help kick off the meeting with a presentation on global ice cream insight and innovation ideas. For more information, link HERE.

To read more about formulating dairy foods with fruits, nuts and seeds, link HERE to a recent article I wrote for Food Business News on the topic.

Let’s start with banana, which is technically a brown flavor. Though yellow at the beginning, when they are fully to over-ripened, they go brown, and that is the banana flavor most consumers recognize in recipes.

Think Banana Cream Pie. Think Banana Pudding. Think Bananas Foster, which is a “flaming” dessert made with bananas and vanilla ice cream topped with a caramel-style sauce made from butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum and banana liqueur. The alcohol gets added right before serving and is ignited. Imagine an ice cream with real banana puree and crunchy brown sugared shell inclusions that explode with caramel sauce.

Häagen-Dazs offered a Bananas Foster product exclusive to 7-Eleven stores. According to the company, the ice cream captures all of the flavors of classic bananas foster dessert in one distinctly delicious ice cream. It contains hints of cinnamon and nutmeg with lingering notes of caramel and brown sugar that enhance the banana-flavored ice cream.

This past year, 7-Eleven rolled out a private-label line of ice cream pints under the 7-Select GO!Yum brand. The line includes Banana Cream Pie, which is described as being made with real bananas, pie crust pieces and fresh milk and cream.

Häagen-Dazs is right on track with reaching out to the Millennials with its Artisan Collection ice cream line. The brand teamed up with small confection makers from around the country to craft six gourmet flavors, including Banana Rum Jam. Inspired by Drunken Monkey jam from The Jam Stand in Brooklyn, this uniquely flavored recipe combines banana, caramelized rum and lime into smooth vanilla bean ice cream.

Photo source: Nancy's Fancy

Arctic Zero offers Banana Pudding in its Chunky Pints line. This banana pudding-flavored ice cream is loaded with vanilla wafer crumble, without all the fat and calories. Each pint contains 12 grams of both protein and fiber with only 300 calories per pint.

For the past year, two-time James Beard Award-winning chef and author Nancy Silverton has been offering premium artisanal gelati and sorbetti. Created from recipes inspired by the well-loved desserts served at her acclaimed restaurants, Nancy’s Fancy is the chef’s first-ever product line in her distinguished career.

Being the baking goddess that she is, Nancy knows the secret to transforming the humble banana into something magnificent. That would be Roasted Banana with Bourbon & Pecan Praline Gelato. By roasting the bananas for this gelato, Nancy gently coaxes out all of the caramel goodness from this wholesome fruit. And as a grown up, Nancy also knows that the secret to almost everything else is bourbon. What better pairing could there be for this banana-y, bourbon-y deliciousness than southern-style pecan pralines? The flavor of this gelato knocks the socks off of adults, but is subtle enough to also be a favorite of the under-21 crowd and teetotalers alike, according to the company.

Ben & Jerry’s is being petitioned in the U.S. to bring Satisfy My Bowl (banana ice cream, caramel, cookie swirls and chocolate peace signs), to bring it to America. It debuted in 2014 in the U.K., the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Bob Marley’s Legend album. Since, it’s rolled out to other countries, but not the U.S. Hopefully the time is now right. The banana ice cream is 9% caramel, 6% cookie swirls and 4% chocolatey peace signs.

In Brooklyn, N.Y., Lotus Scoop loves working bananas into its artisan ice creams. Yam-A-Rama is said to taste like a frozen sweet potato pie. It is one of the company’s most popular ice cream flavors. It is a buttery mash of baked sweet potatoes and cinnamon, frozen into Hudson Valley Fresh’s all-natural ice cream base. Generous amounts of homemade banana caramel are swirled in, which has a hint of Himalayan pink salt.

The company also developed Meet Your Matcha. To create this ice cream variety the company smooshed, whipped and then folded fresh organic bananas into its custom ice cream base. (It does not need to be that difficult. Try banana puree.) When the mix gets thick and frozen, matcha green tea-infused sea salt is swirled in along with raspberry marmalade.

After banana, there’s the pineapple. How do you turn this Food Network recipe— Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla Ice Cream--from Ellie Krieger into an all-inclusive dessert, char marks and all?

Source: Food Network

There are so many potential twists to this recipe, flavor spins that will get Millennials’ interested. Think caramel variegate infused with chipotle or grilled pineapple pieces seasoned with cardamom.

After all, grilled pineapple has become a mainstay for mixologists shaking up top-shelf cocktails for spirits-centric Millennials.
How about mixing caramelized pineapple pieces, vanilla cake cubes and buttered caramel variegate into vanilla ice cream for a scoop of Pineapple Upside Down Cake?

Ice cream season is summertime. In the U.S., that means baseball, hot dogs and apple pie. And apple pie and its many variants all go so much better with a touch of caramel. Talenti knows that! Talenti Caramel Apple Pie is made with real cinnamon sticks, pieces of Red Delicious apples, sweet flaky pie crust and a caramel swirl for a unique yet familiar flavor experience.

The Crumbs Ice Cream line features popular Crumbs Cupcake flavors, including Apple Cobbler. And The Pie People LLC, loves both apple and banana. The company offers Banana Cream and Caramel Apple Crumble varieties of its JC’s Pie Pops.

Happy spring! Have a lovely Easter weekend! Hope to see you at the Ice Cream Technology conference to talk about caramel’s new best friends.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Yesterday, Bloomberg Businessweek published an article entitled “Coke thinks designer milk could be a billion-dollar brand.” Coke is part owner of fairlife LLC, makers of the namesake ultra-filtered high-protein milk. As mentioned in the article, and something I have heard fairlife co-founder Mike McCloskey say time after time, “Milk is one of nature’s superfoods.” Thank you, Mike. You can read the article HERE.

The numbers speak for themselves. Specialty milk sales jumped 21% in 2015, up from 9% in 2014, according to Bloomberg research. This increase is directly correlated to Coke’s investment in Fairlife milk.

To read “Fairlife: The story behind the innovation,” link HERE to an article I wrote for Food Business News.

Like I said, the numbers speak for themselves. Let’s talk Natural Products Expo West, which took place March 10 to 13 in Anaheim, CA. I was so glad to learn a couple of days ago that it was not just me thinking the exposition was insanely crowded (borderline dangerous). It truly was jam packed.

It was reported that the 36th edition of this annual event experienced another record-setting year with 6.9% growth. The Anaheim convention center hosted more than 77,000 attendees. The event brought together an inspired community of industry members and more than 3,000 exhibiting companies, including more than 600 first-time exhibitors.

These total numbers, along with the growing number of exhibiting dairy processors, confirms the unstoppable growth of the natural products industry. Just 10 years ago, this group was all about granola and vegan diets. This year, all-natural, organic, clean-label animal-derived products (mainly dairy and jerky) were very prominent, and without protest.

New Hope Network, the expo organizers, project strong growth for the natural products industry. U.S. consumer sales of natural, organic and healthy products are expected to grow 64% from $153 billion in 2013 to $252 billion by 2019, including growth of 9% per year driven in part by new and emerging brands. I believe many of these will be dairy or based on dairy. That’s because milk is one of nature’s superfoods.

“Natural Products Expo West serves as a launching pad for innovation from entrepreneurial brands to more established companies looking to keep up with shifts in consumer demand,” says Carlotta Mast, executive director of content and insights, New Hope Network. “Evolving shopper tastes and values have positioned the natural products industry as a major force in what products end up on shelves from natural stores to more conventional supermarkets.”

Also this week, it was reported that Gatorade, a brand of PepsiCo, Coke’s leading soft drink rival, is embracing the superiority of dairy, too. The brand is said to be working on a new line of products including a night protein yogurt to boost workout performance.

“What will make you a better athlete is not just what you drink on the field,” said Xavi Cortadellas, Gatorade’s senior director of global innovation and design to Fox Business. “It’s what you put in your body throughout the day. We want to help athletes better fuel themselves, to have better health and nutrition. The more regimented they are on what they are eating and what they are drinking, the better athletes they’ll be.”

The yogurt concept is all about addressing overnight muscle repair. It focuses on the casein protein content. The human body digests casein much slower than whey proteins, making it ideal for rebuilding muscle while consumers sleep.

A study from The Netherlands found consuming casein after a workout and a half hour before bedtime led to greater muscle protein synthesis. In a separate study published in the Journal of Nutrition in August 2012, researchers found ingesting protein before going to sleep led to a greater increase in muscle mass and strength compared to participants who took a placebo before bed.

Milk is a nutrient powerhouse

The MilkPEP folks are making an even greater effort this month—National Nutrition Month—to educate consumers about the nutrient density of milk. Did you know milk is one of the most nutrient-rich beverages you can find? In fact, there are thousands of studies that have documented the benefits of drinking milk, which is why nutrition experts recommend adults drink three servings of milk or milk products a day. Yet, most Americans fall short of the USDA’s recommended daily servings.

No matter your age, it’s hard to get the nutrients you need without dairy in the diet. Milk is the top food source for three out of four nutrients of concern, which are nutrients many Americans are lacking. These are calcium, vitamin D and potassium. The fourth nutrient of concern is fiber. And, guess what? Dairy foods are an ideal carrier of added fiber food ingredients.

All milk, regardless of fat content, the cows’ diet or the cows’ pasture regime, contains nine essential nutrients. This includes B vitamins for energy, vitamin A for a healthy immune system plus several bone-building nutrients.

Milk is also a source of high-quality protein. This means the protein is complete, as it contains all the essential amino acids in the proportion the body requires for proper functioning. A simple rule of thumb to communicate to consumers: every ounce of fluid milk provides a gram of protein.

Dairy marketers must never stop communicating the fact that it’s hard to get all of the nutrients the body needs without real dairy milk and dairy products in the diet. Milk resonates with today’s consumers as it is simple, wholesome, real and more often than not, local. Milk is one of the original farm-to-table foods. Did you know 97% of dairy farms are still family-owned and operated?

At Expo West, dairy foods manufacturers showcased how milk can be further enhanced with nutrients to create real powerhouse products. Here are some of those concepts.

Dairy Innovations showcased its new Fruzinga line of high-fiber, probiotic drinkable yogurts. Made with real fruit and no added sugar, the naturally gluten-free beverage is made with a skim milk yogurt base enhanced with milk protein concentrate to deliver 7 grams of protein in every 7-ounce bottle. This is in addition to 8 grams of prebiotic fiber to support digestive health. Together, the protein and fiber help satiate the consumer, assisting with weight-loss and weight-management programs. To read more about Fruzinga, link HERE.

All of the gelatos, which also include Espresso and Ginger varieties, are now sweetened with organic Fair Trade cane sugar and organic agave nectar and stabilized with only cage-free egg yolks. Flavors are sourced from their origin, not from added natural or artificial flavorings, according to Adrian Pace, founder and CEO.

All Forte Gelato offerings contain 15 grams of protein per 4-ounce single-serve container. This is accomplished through the use of skim milk and added milk proteins. A serving also contains 2.5 grams of fat and a mere 160 calories. For more information, link HERE.

Interested in learning more about on-trend dairy products such as these two concepts? Plan on attending the International Dairy Foods Association’s annual Ice Cream Technology conference April 12 to 13 in Florida and the Milk and Cultured Dairy Products conference May 24 to 25 in Indianapolis.

For more information, use the links below. I will be speaking at both conferences on industry trends driving innovation.

In the next few weeks, I will showcase other dairy ingredient-enhanced dairy foods including frozen desserts, cultured dairy snacks and even cheese spreads. Expect to see more innovations containing highly functional and nutritional isolated milk components.

Lactoferrin is a naturally occurring protein found in milk. With its high iron-binding capacity, the protein has strong anti-microbial activity and supports immunity while also encouraging good gut health.

Casein is available as an ingredient. In particular, micellar casein is 92% casein and 8% soluble whey protein. It has application in products designed to deliver slowly digested protein for muscle recovery and weight loss.

By the way, if you were wondering about the Gorilla Milk I spotlighted a few weeks ago, here’s the scoop. According to the company Barnana, just because you can milk a gorilla, doesn’t mean you should! Barnana launched the Gorilla Milk campaign to raise awareness to bettering the environment, people, and the animals that we cohabitate the planet with. It’s a jungle out there!

Friday, March 11, 2016

“You do OODA better than anybody I ever met,” was once said to Chef Keith Schroeder, CEO of High Road Craft Ice Cream. Schroeder shared this with attendees of the Research Chefs Association’s (RCA) 2016 Annual Conference & Culinology Expo in Denver.

The phrase OODA refers to the decision cycle of “observe, orient, decide and act,” which was developed by the U.S. military. Many today apply this process to commercial operations and learning processes.

Just think about it for a moment and why OODA is so important to today’s food innovation process.

This past week I joined more than 1,200 culinary professionals in Denver for the RCA, which actually wraps up today. I had to leave early to get to Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, where an expected 75,000-plus are expected to convene. (The size of Expo West speaks for itself in terms of the direction the food industry is moving.)

What these two shows have in common is more companies, and their leaders, practicing OODA.

This is so true. If you listen to the consumer, really listen (observe), figure out what piece of the puzzle you can be (orient), decide how to go about being the best puzzle piece you can be and then act on it, you will have a product—a brand--that the people will want. Make the right choices (namely ingredient selection, as it relates to food formulating) when executing the product concept, and you will define your brand.

As stated in Forbes (Jan. 2, 2013), “Reputation Trumps All -- Define Your Brand and Live It in the New Year, and Beyond.”

So what do consumers want, the “observe” of OODA?

At both RCA and Expo West, there were two recurring themes among exhibitors: 1) Live consciously while eating deliciously and 2) Food with integrity.

At RCA, Walter Zuromski, president and culinary director of Chef Services Group Inc., said in a session entitled “Food as Medicine: Retooling Your Menu and Your Health,” “It's about feeling good, which has a clear focus on delivering flavor.”

To read a Food Business News article I wrote about a “Culinary approach to clean label,” based on content collected at RCA, link HERE.

Graph source: Datamonitor/Sensus

In that same session, Chef Leah Sarris, program director of the Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University, provided culinary professionals with tips on how to improve the nutrient density of the foods they create. She emphasized the importance of formulating foods with less sugar and increasing the content of nutrients that satiate, namely protein and fiber. “And consumers are asking for more vegetables,” she said.

Sarris runs the teaching kitchen in Tulane’s groundbreaking new program that teaches medical students, doctors and patients the tenets of healthful cooking and the significant role food plays in preventing and managing obesity and associated diseases. As the first full-time chef ever employed by a medical school, she uses her culinary background to translate the latest nutrition science into practical strategies patients can take home to reduce their salt intake, cut calories and eat more healthful meals. To read more about Harris and the program, as well as view a video on how healthy food is medicine, link HERE.

So let’s talk fiber. As consumers around the world struggle with obesity and related health issues, there’s a push for healthier food choices. Fiber is gaining lots of attention as a way to provide those choices.

According to a survey of 1,250 males and 1,250 females between the ages of 18 and 64 years in seven countries (France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain U.K. and U.S.) conducted by Datamonitor Consulting and commissioned by Sensus, the majority of consumers believe that foods and beverages that contain fiber will help them stay healthy. The survey showed consumers increasingly care about their digestive health, which they perceive to be important for general health.

With growing attention to digestive health, they are increasingly seeking prebiotic and probiotic food products, such as yogurt and other fermented foods, to help optimize digestion.

Interestingly, consumers are increasingly aware that their daily diet does not include all required nutrients in sufficient amounts. At the same time, they tend to be unwilling to change their eating habits and instead look for products that offer these additional benefits.

Here are five very different dairy foods from around the world that all deliver fiber, as well as speak to other health and wellness attributes today’s consumer is seeking. They all contain the dietary fiber inulin, which can be used to replace sugar and fat while improving taste and mouthfeel in dairy foods. In indulgent products, inulin can act as an extra layer of richness without the extra calories. It has also been shown to assist with syneresis in cultured products.

In the U.S., Kroger is rolling out a unique spin on Greek yogurt. The new non-fat line combines fruits and vegetables, and is described as probiotic and prebiotic. Varieties are: Blueberry Cucumber, Cherry Beet, Lemon Zucchini, Pineapple Spinach & Kiwi, and Spiced Apricot & Butternut Squash. Each 5.3-ounce cup contains 120 calories, 15 grams of sugar, 13 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber.

Nestle USA expands its Skinny Cow franchise with Ultimate Chocolate ice cream sandwiches. This 180-calorie frozen novelty is low-fat chocolate ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate wafers and dipped in chocolatey coating. Each sandwich contains 9 grams of fat, 12 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber. The line also includes Creamy Caramel and Vanilla Bean Dream varieties.

In Italy, the Philadelphia cream cheese brand now includes a unique appetizer-style cheese: Philadelphia Sensations. The concept resembles cheese tortes currently in the marketplace, but is different in the sense that it is filled cream cheese rather than layered. The product come packaged in a unique wrap that allows it to be served plated as a fanciful cheese spread. It comes in three varieties: Classic, Olive and Sundried Tomato. This is an example of where low levels of inulin slow syneresis.

In Switzerland, new Emmi Energy Milk comes in Banana, Chocolate, Mocha, Strawberry, Vanilla and limited-edition Dare Devil varieties. The latter is flavored with mango and chili and is the first spicy drink that Emmi has ever launched. Each 330-milliliter shelf-stable carton provides around 280 calories, 8 grams of fat, 33 grams of sugar, 11 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. The product is also fortified with multiple vitamins and minerals.

And lastly, in Canada, there’s new JillyV’s Jump Starter. Packaged in clear plastic containers so consumers can see the layers of product, Jump Starter combines organic yogurt, oats and chia, and is topped with fruit compote. Varieties are: Berries, Lemon, Raspberry and Strawberry. Each 227-gram serving contains 270 to 290 calories, 6 to 7 grams of fat, 19 to 23 grams of sugar, 10 to 11 grams of protein and 7 to grams of fiber, depending on variety. The fiber comes from the chia, oats and inulin.

What makes this product line different than similar grain-style yogurts is the optional JumpPack. Sold separately, JumpPacks include toasted almonds, pecans, hemp hearts and ground flax and can be added to the Jumpstarter for an extra nutrition boost.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

I knew this product would get your attention! It’s real and it’s debuting this coming week at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim. I hope to see many of you there.

Goats and camels watch out…now gorillas want part of the “other mammal” milk. That’s right, eco-friendly Gorilla Milk is nutritionally dense milk from western lowland gorillas. Marketed by Santa Monica, CA-based, Barnana, a pioneer in the healthy snack category, most notably those based on bananas—the Gorilla’s meal of choice—new Gorilla Milk is described as an alternative to cows milk that is more genetically similar to human milk.

The Fair Trade, Non-GMO Project Verified, organic, grass-fed milk from western lowland gorillas is also unpasteurized and raw. (I thought the two terms meant the same thing!) It comes in a pouch package, and though not confirmed, I am guessing it is refrigerated.

“After spending time with western lowland gorillas in Africa, seeing their wild habitat being destroyed and after having the privilege to milk one myself, I am excited to bring mother gorillas’ milk to market for human consumption and save the lives of gorillas and their wild habitat,” says Caue Suplicy, Barnana CEO. Sales of Gorilla Milk will directly benefit efforts to save and repopulate the wild habitat of the gorilla.

Now that I have your attention, here’s the deal. This product, as well as thousands of others described using similar “all-natural, ecofriendly” jargon will be showcased at Expo West, which promises to be the largest one to date. The natural products industry continues to grow year after year, as consumer demand for such products intensifies.

According to The NPD Group, major food companies are scrambling to meet consumers’ changing needs. The unprecedented shift in consumer attitudes and behaviors has food manufacturers struggling to find growth in a changing marketplace where legacy brands are ceding share to smaller, new entrants and the store perimeter is outperforming center of the store. (This is an opportunity for dairy, a perimeter category.)

Among the contributing factors to Big Food’s current dilemma is consumers’ increasing demand for purity in their foods and beverages. Consumers are avoiding adulterated elements and looking for natural and fresh foods and beverages at grocery stores, and avoiding the processed foods on which many major food companies base their business.

“The bottom line is that major food companies and retailers are faced with meeting changing consumer needs with processes and infrastructure that were built for the mass-produced foods consumers craved a decade ago,” says David Portalatin, vice president-food industry analyst at NPD.

“The U.S. consumer has changed,” writes my Food Business News colleague Keith Nunes in an article with this title. He references a report published by the consultancy Deloitte Consulting L.L.P., which is based on a study conducted with the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association. The study states that new purchasing influences, such as health and wellness, safety, social impact, experience and transparency, are motivating consumers and forcing food and beverage manufacturers and marketers to adapt.

“The U.S. consumer has changed in a fundamental and impactful way, and people’s preferences are becoming even more fragmented than the food industry may have anticipated,” said Jack Ringquist, a principal with Deloitte.

As a result of the emerging purchasing influences, the report predicts consumer tastes and preferences will continue to fragment, the retailer’s role in influencing purchases will continue to grow, smaller and newer companies will remain competitive—such as those exhibiting at Expo West--as they leverage new technologies to earn consumer trust, and market success will be determined by those companies that can build purpose-driven competitive advantages.

The accompanying infographic shows the top-five attributes that the 5,000 U.S. consumers surveyed ranked in terms of importance. (More than one attribute could be selected.) Number-one was free of harmful elements (62%). This was followed by clear and accurate labeling (51%), clear information (47%), fewer ingredients (42%) and nutritional content (41%).

This week I wrote an article on coloring beverages for Food Business News. It will be published in a week. I found this bit of research interesting: Consumers are not evaluating every component of a product individually. Rather, they use a method of elimination whereby they scan the label for certain ingredients that they personally avoid. If they discover them among the contents, the product is returned to shelf. For many, artificial color is the deal breaker.

It’s no wonder every week another Big Food company announces its commitment to eliminate artificial colors from product formulations. But converting from artificial to natural colors comes with challenges.

If you are in the ice cream business, plan to attend the International Dairy Foods Association’s Ice Cream Technology Conference this April 12 to 13 in Bonita Springs, FL. You will be able to hear Jody Renner-Nantz, senior application scientist at DDW-The Color House speak about new technologies for more stable colorants and the various hurdles to consider when selecting colorful ingredients.